


Instinctual Behavior

by Clockwork



Series: Skyjacked [1]
Category: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-15 16:51:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3454574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clockwork/pseuds/Clockwork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caine is new to the skyjacker team and Stinger realizes that their newest teammate needs a hand in controlling his natural instincts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Instinctual Behavior

It took Stinger a bit to catch on to what was going on. The first time the new kid had gone leaning up against him during a mission he’d written it off as nothing more than a case of nerves, of being the runt and new and abandoned to the unit. That was until he saw that steely look as he cut down a squad on his own, not so much as seeming to blink as he laid down a pile of blood and carnage at his captain’s feet. 

So when it happened a week later, the hard lines of the mutt pressing to his back, seemingly unaroused and merely standing there, he began to wonder if something had gone wrong with his splice and screwed up his mind, or at least his common sense. 

It wasn’t until he heard someone muttering about goddamn dogs and needing to be trained better than it hit Stinger square in the face. It was the splice, and it was fucking with his head, but not in any way that he had previously thought. Though when he saw the boy pausing behind one of the other skyjackers, breathing hard and deep as if gathering the scent at the back of the man’s neck he knew he had to step in.

“Pup, come here.”

Caine lifted his head, eyes narrowing as his chin lifted. He held his ground. 

Rolling his eyes, Stinger crossed the bay with a handful of steps, strong hand coming up to clamp hard on the back of the boy’s neck. Instantly Caine’s entire demeanor changed, wings dropping to trail behind him, gaze falling to stare at the floor and whining in the back of his throat. 

“Now, come with me, pup,” he said, keeping that hold on the back of Caine’s neck, leading him down to the private bays and into Stinger’s own room. 

Keeping that hold, he guided him to the bed that lined one side of the wall. Dropping down to sit on the bed, he pulled Caine in close at his side.

“Sit,” he murmured. He felt him resist and pinched tighter at his neck. “Sit down, pup.”

“You don’t have to keep calling me that,’ he muttered, though his gaze was still lowered, and he settled in next to Stinger, careful not to brushing against his Captain as he did so.

“Yeah, I think I do,” he argued, a heavy frown etching his features, trying to figure out how to do this, what he should do next. “You’re going to end up getting punched if you keep going all puppy on the team, Wise.”

The boy growled, head snapping up and his gaze as dark as it was during battle.

“Exactly. Then you’re going to kill someone and they’re going to put you down. So we need to figure this out, got it?”

He was silent a long time, staring at Stinger before he shook his head. 

“What do you mean, puppy?”

That caught Stinger off guard. He hadn’t realized the boy wasn’t aware of his behavior but he guessed that made sense. It was instinctual, spliced into him, and then denied him when he was sent off to play lone wolf with a bunch of skyjackers, and not one of them having a single ounce of wolf in them.

“Caine, you know what you are. You haven’t noticed how you’ve been acting?”

Again he shook his head. Stinger realized he was going to have to show him because telling seemed to be going over his pointy ears. Stinger’s hand dropped from gripping the boy’s neck to slide down over the downy softness of his wings. Unlike Stinger’s own cellulose wings that more closely echoed a dragonfly’s, Caine’s were soft, warm to the touch and made a soft ruffling sound as the pup shifted, settling in closer to Stinger with the encouragement of that touch.

“There you go. Acting like that. Sniffing the boys,” he said, still stroking and petting, trying to keep him calm as he talked about it. “I get it now, and I should’ve seen it sooner,” he admitted. “But you can’t go around snuggling up on the team, Caine. You’ll end up court martialed and locked up.” He didn’t doubt the boy could handle himself in a fight, but if he was doing poorly alone now, how would he survive in the brig?

“I’ll stop doing it,” he said, moving to sit up as if only just realizing that once more he was pressed to Stinger’s side.

“You’ll stop doing it with them,” he said, not letting himself think about his words. “But I need you on this team, and that means I’m going to make sure you get what you need. Got it?”

As expected the boy shook his head again. 

Sighing softly under his breath, the sound seemingly vibrating against the air, he moved his hand back up to the back of Caine’s neck. “Come here, pup,” he said, moving to pull him closer.

For a moment he resisted, and then he shifted, pressing in as close as he could. A fine shiver ran through him, eyes closing as he pressed his face to Stinger’s shoulder. Stinger gave another tug.

“Little bit more,” he said, waiting and watching to see what Wise did.

After a moment he finally moved, shifting to crawl up into Stinger’s lap. 

“That’s it. That’s a good boy,” he said, moving back to stroking the soft length of his wings. “We’ll work something out, okay? Make sure you have this so you don’t go around making people uncomfortable.”

“You’re not uncomfortable with this?”

He should have been. It should have felt weird, and yeah having that strong, powerful, muscled form on his lap felt different than anything he’d known but he realized he wasn’t uncomfortable, just uncertain.

“I’m good with it,” he said, scritching between his wings. “Just try and relax, okay? If you need this, then we’ll get it taken care of.” That was what a team did, right? That’s what he had to keep telling himself. “Now relax.”

It was several minutes before he actually did what he was told, body shifting and pressing in against Stinger’s chest rather than trying to stay detached as he was sitting on the man’s lap. A moment later Caine’s head came to rest on Stinger’s shoulder. It was only then that Stinger himself relaxed, settling sideways against the wall to support them both. His hand continued to stroke Caine’s back. 

“Such a good boy,” he murmured. “I need you at your best, okay? So you need this, you tell me. Okay?”

Caine nodded then, shifting a bit more to press his nose to the thrumming pulse point just above the mark on Stinger’s neck. Drawing in a breath, obviously gathering the scent of his commander, and then whining softly as he suddenly pressed closer, clinging to him. 

“That’s my pretty boy,” he murmured softly, stroking his back. “That’s it. You’re okay.”

Stinger wasn’t even sure what he was saying anymore, but he had to admit it kind of felt good. Being there for his team, taking care of them, and if it was a little weird as the boy nuzzled and licking at the underside of his chin, he tried to remind himself that it wasn’t weird, it wasn’t odd, it was just what Caine’s kind did, and being there for him was what a commander did.

He just had to remind himself that it wasn’t taking advantage of the boy just because it felt good and maybe he was finding he licked those tiny licks to his cheek and the corner of his mouth, and that the feeling of Caine’s wings beneath his fingers left him a bit breathless. It wasn’t odd, just being a good commander and helping the pup with his instinctual behavior. Yep, that’s all it was.


End file.
